Iowa's cycling calendar is filling up fast, and Marshalltown is all in. With RAGBRAI LIII rolling through on Wednesday, July 22 as an overnight stop, the city's executive committee hosted back-to-back community meetings Monday night - one for businesses and nonprofits, another for the general public - at Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
The plan is a roughly $250,000 endeavor, with RAGBRAI seeding $50K and the rest coming from fundraising, vendor fees, and beer garden revenue. Co-Chair and Chamber CEO John Hall made clear the goal is to break even at minimum - and if things go well, sock away ~$25K for the next time Marshalltown hosts.
Financials will be published transparently throughout.
The route enters via State Center and Lamoille on West Main Street and exits on East Main Thursday morning.
Community engagement like this is exactly what makes Iowa the world's best state for cycling.